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Dec 23, 2009

I like to thank you my dear blog friends, it has been so fun of making the backgrounds and other stuff for your blogs! I get so wonderful comments and feedback, that they keep me inspired!

The time before Christmas was quite busy, I didn't had enough time to post here. But next year I would love to post new tutorials and blog stuff. The suggestions of new topics or themes are always more than welcome.

Nov 19, 2009

You've been asking for backgrounds and other stuff for Christmas, and there is already some backgrounds and headers. And I promise to make more and also Christmas accessories.

And bad then bad news:

I've been a bit busy and I didn't had time to check my emails for some time. And I've got so much spam comments and emails, that I really haven't been able to answer your questions or requests of the custom works. So I had to clean all my emails and I have to start from the clean table.

So if I haven't answered to your questions or haven't accomplished your request, please, email again to blo64rt (at) gmail (dot) com. Or leave a new comment.

I promise to answer to all your actual emails, comments and requests from this day further.

Jul 10, 2009

If you want to add a link to your comment, it's really good to make it easy to use. If you first have to copy the link and then paste the address, it's way too complicated, so better learn this very simple, but practical trick.

So only thing you need, is this simple code:

<a href="link">text to click on</a>

Here is a sample, I will make a comment to this post and will add this link below there, so you see how it looks, click the link on my comment and you should get back to this post:

Jul 5, 2009

First I want to decrease saturation a little bit.I use this saturation/hue/lightness tool quite much. There is many other tools you could do the same thing, but I like this.

Next I take a paint brush.

And choose the fuzzy soft head.

Then I choose the color I want to add. I put the opacity very low, usually I use it between 8 - 18 %. I want to use very thin layers of the color, the brush stroke become much more smooth.

Usually I do first the skin color, little by little.

Then I use the other colors, but also very thin coat.

Later, when I've finished the coloring, I usually add more saturation, or sometimes I might diminish color from some parts. And once more little by little with low opacity. This tool is great, when you want just adjust some parts of the image.

And sometimes I want to darken or lighten some details.

Here is now the ready colored image.

I wanted to add this time more contrast to it. If you want to adjust the whole image, you find really useful tools from these adjust tools. You can adjust color balance, contrast, saturation, hue etc.

This is now the final result, but maybe I could add one more cool detail...

I open the new image, this time a damask pattern, and I choose the paint brush again.

But this time, instead of the solid color, I choose to use pattern.

I start coloring the bandana, once more little by little, and I vary the scale and the angle to get the look natural.Ok, this is now enough. If you have anything to ask, please do, I'm happy to answer to any questions.

Jun 30, 2009

Previous tutorial was about how to cut an image from the multicolored background. This tutorial is for cutting the image from the solid color background. It's a little bit faster and simpler.

First you cut the image with selection tool > freehand selection and then copy and paste as a new image.

Then choose selection tool again, but this time magic wand. (You can adjust the tolerance of the magic wand to find suitable for your needs).

Place magic wand one by one onto all white areas, then cut, and the white parts are gone.

Sometimes the image is quite ready already after magic wand, but to make sure you should add a new layer behind the image, first black and then white to get rid of the all remaining background around the image. Erase all disturbing stuff around the image. (See the previous tutorial).

When the image is cut out, you can add little bit drop shadow, if you like. And remember save the file as .png, so you hard work don't go to waste (see previous tutorial).

***

Many times for example the collage sheets comes with solid white background and this is quite easy way to get images proper to digital working.

I used as an example my digital collage sheet Vintage Party #2, but then I cheated, I used in the last picture the ready cut .png file from the digital design kit Grunge and Crazy. I have already once cut it, so I didn't had nerve to do it twice. Both digital collage sheet and the digital design kit (for lazy digital artists) are available on my Etsy Shop.

Jun 29, 2009

There are millions of ways to cut the image from background, and if you have found nice and easy way to do it, you don't have to change it. I just want to show you how I do it.

First I choose selection tool > freehand selection

I go around the image, not too carefully. I don't want to waste time with this, cause I think it's almost impossible to go so carefully around the image, that there is nothing to erase.

I copy the image and the paste it as a new image.

Now I start erasing around the imag, there is many different heads for eraser tool, I used +round 10. Opacity must be 100 %. First I go around and erase the easiest part with larger eraser, and the at last I go to details with smaller eraser size.

Now image looks already quite ready.

But I want to make sure, that the image looks fine in all different backgrounds. So I add a new layer and choose black color to that new layer. Make sure that you have the image and background in different layers.

You can see, that there is still something to erase. I go around once more with small eraser.

And then I change the color of the background layer. There is still left some disturbing stuff from the background. So I go around once more and try to erase all that stuff away. When you satisfied with the image, delete the background layer.

You must save the image without the background as a PNG Portable Network Graphics (*.png). If you save your image as .jpg all your hard work is gone for the waste, your image will have a white background, but as .png file, your image has a transparent background.

Now the image is cut out from the background quite successfully and saved as .png file. It still need some retouch and coloring perhaps...

Jun 8, 2009

I'm really happy to see how many of you have find the fascinating world of digital art. I started about 4 years ago. My children helped me in the beginning, cause I had no idea what to do. But I got so hooked from the very first trial, that I wanted to learn more and more. And I'm happy to share some of my knowledge with you.

This time I want to show, how practical .png files are. You can use ready made files, like my digital design kits, which I've designed specially for digital working. Or there is of course lot of more available. Or you can make your own files.

But here I used my Digital Design Kit Marie Antoinette Turquoise and Pink as an example.

First you pick the images you might want to use. Files in .png format are so easy to use, cause they have transparent backgrounds.

Then you copy the chosen image.

And paste it as a new layer to the chosen background.

You can edit now the image, add for example drop shadow.

Same way you can add more images, and if you need to scale them to fit better, the pick tool is very practical, you can also turn images with it.

After you add more images, you can arrange the order of the images.

And until you still have all image on their own layers, you can adjust then individually. You can change colors, sizes order. Or you can add special effects. Try new things, there is endless possibilities.

Here is my result. I wanted to play with colors and with some of my favorite special effects.

Feel free to ask, if you want to know more, but best way to learn is to try everything.